Suspected Admin of XSS.IS Cybercrime Forum Arrested in Ukraine

Suspected admin of XSS.IS, a major Russian-language cybercrime forum, arrested in Ukraine after years of running malware and data trade operations.

Ukrainian authorities, with help from French police and Europol, have arrested a person suspected of running one of the largest Russian-language cybercrime hubs out there, XSS.is.

It all started with a long-running investigation that began in mid‑2021 in France. Prosecutors gradually traced encrypted logs and hacker chatter back to an individual living in Ukraine, culminating in their arrest on July 22, 2025.

XSS.is has been quietly operating since around 2013. The forum became notorious as a central marketplace for hijacked system access, malware, stolen credentials, ransomware kits and an encrypted Jabber channel hackers used to coordinate deals.

You might wonder how the biggest-ever Russian-language cybercrime board ended ...